Two-way vise



H. J. JOHNSON TWO-WAY VISE Nov. 15, 1955 Filed July 2, 1955 INVENTOR HARRY J. JOHNSON AGENTS United States. Patent ()fiice TWO-WAY VISE Harry J. Johnson, Lemout, Ill. Application July 2, 1953, Serial No. 365,651 3 Claims. 01. 81-33) The present invention relates to a vise construction and more particularly to a novel vise construction for receiving and retaining small, or flexible or light-gauge metal stock in position to permit working thereon without fear of damaging the stock or tools.

Considerable difiiculty has been encountered heretofore in performing various working operations on small, light-gauge or flexible metal stock. For example, when drilling holes in stock of this nature, damage often occurs to the stock to a degree that materially harms the stock as well as oftentimes damaging the drill press. This damage ,results from the fact that the stock tends to rotate with the drill bit. To hold the stock against such rotation, it has been necessary to place it in a vise or to clamp it by other means against a support. However, even when this has been done, the stock was oftentimes damaged since it would tend to buckle or tear 'at the point of drilling, thus causing itto be rejected. Moreover, when the stock is clamped the drill bit would oftentimes bind with corresponding damage to the drill motor. Similar difiiculties have been encountered in related working operations, such as, for example, filing, grinding, bufling, polishing, etc.

The attendant difl'iculties encountered in the metal working just described result from a combination of factors. The flexibility, lightness, 'or size of the stock, of course, is a basic factor but the inability of prior vises or clamps to properly present the metal for the working operation is the principal one. The basic defect of such prior vises with metal of this character is that they merely hold the stock by an inward compression of the jaws coming together. As a result, whenever a thrust is made against the stock, it is still further compressedthus causing the stock to be subject to possible damage in themanner described hereinbefore.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention in the elimination of the foregoing and related disadvantages, to provide a vise construction which will retain small, flexible, or light-gauge metal stock to permit working thereon without damage to such stock or equipment.

Anotherobject is to provide a vise construction capable of holding small or light metal stock in position for working thereon and yet capable of use in performing all functions of conventional vise constructions.

,A further object is to provide a vise construction capable of a dual function with respect to small or light metal.

A still further object is to provide a vise construction capable of two movements independent of each other and along axes transverse to one another.

Yet another object is to provide a vise construction which will retain metal stock in position without compressing such stock.

Still another object is to'provide a vise of very simple construction and relatively few moving parts.

Other and additional objects will manifest themselves and will become apparent from the annexed drawing and the ensuing description.

2,723,579 Patented Nov. 15, 1955 Broadly stated, the vise construction of the present in vention, in the attainment of the foregoing objectives, comprises a fixed jaw member, a movable jaw member, and means for moving the movable jaw toward and away from the fixed jaw member. Each of the fixed and movable jaw members comprise a fixed portion, a movable portion and means to move each movable portion toward and away from the fixed portion, the clamping axes of these fixed and movable portions lying transverse to the main clamping axis of the vise. v 1

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the present invention. then consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following descrip tion setting forth in detail certain means in the carrying out of the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

The present invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vise construction made in accordance with the present invention, mounted for association with a conventional drill press assembly;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a vise made in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 33 of Fig. 2. Referring now to the drawing, and with particular reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the illustrative embodiment of the improved vise construction made in accordance with the present invention consists of a vise generally designated by reference numeral 10 and comprising a fixed jaw member 11, a movable jaw member 12, the two jaw members 11 and 12 having the general configuration and design of a conventional vise in that each is provided with a main body section and top sections positioned at one end of each jaw member and in cooperating and mating relationship to one another. The mating faces of the two upper sections are serrated as is conventional to constitute the general working surfaces of the vise. It is to be understood that while the present invetnion is shown with a vise of this character and design, the invention is equally operative with vises having generally different construction.

The fixed jaw member 11 comprises a base section 13 and an upper section 14 secured at one end thereof. The upper section 14 is provided with a serrated face portion 15 which will function normally as the work-engaging face of the fixed jaw member 11 when the vise is to be used for general work. The lower portion of the top section 14 and the upper portion of the base section 13 is cut out to define a generally rectangular, cut-out area adjacent and beneath the serrated working face 15 of the top section 14. Similarly, the movable jaw member 12 comprises a base section 17 and a top section 18 secured to the base section 17 at one corner thereof and in cooperating and mating relationship with the fixed jaw member 11. Similarly, the top section 18 of the movable jaw member 12 is provided with a serrated face 19 which will mate with the serrated face 15 of the fixed jaw member 11 when the vise is in closed position. The lower portion of the top section 18 and the upper portion of the base section 17 are cut out in the manner hereinbefore described with respect to the fixed jaw member 11 to define a cut-out area that corresponds to the cut-out area of the fixed jaw member 11 and is immediately adjacent and beneath the serrated face 19 of the movable jaw member 12. e

A pair of second movable jaw members 20 are positioned in each of the cut-out areas of the fixed jaw mem ber 11 and the movable jaw member 12. The operation of the two movable jaw members 20 will be described with respect to the fixed jaw member 11 only. It is to be understood that the movable jaw 12 would have, as indicated in the drawings, a corresponding construction. The second movable jaw member comprises a block of a Configuration such that it will fit in the cut-out area of the fixed jaw member 11 with its free side edge being below and in substantial alignment with the serrated face 15. The movable jaw member 2t) is movable vertically within the cut-out area and its top face 21 and a confronting and downwardly facing surface 22 of the cut-out area each have serrated faces to constitute an additional pair of work-engaging faces each lying in a plane transverse to that of the normal wc-rkengaging face 15. The second movable member 20 is supported on the top section 14 for vertically guided movement by means of at least one set-screw 23 which extends upwardly and completely through the rear half. of the second movable member 2d and into the underneath surface of the top section 14. To provide proper tensioning and spacing means, a spring 24 is positioned against the confronting and downwardly facing surface of the cut-out area at one end thereof and with the opposite end seating in a cut-out area at the rear top edge of the movable member 2%. The screw 23 passes through the bore of the spring 24 with the spring acting to force the member 20 downwardly to its nonclamping position. This vertical movement of the block 20 will be normally no more than about A.

The vertical adjustment of the second movable mem ber 20 is accomplished by providing a threaded bore 25 extending from the bottom surface of the movable member 29 upwardly. Threadably positioned for rotation within the threaded bore 2.5 is a screw 26 with its opposite free end in engagement with a small detent in the bottom face of the cut-out area of the fixed jaw member ll. The screw 26 is provided with a screw-turning bar 27 at its lower end to permit easy rotation to raise or lower the movable member 20. The description just given with respect to the movable jaw 20 mounted in the fixed jaw 11 applies also to the movable jaw l2 and like numbers refer. to like parts.

The remainder of the vise construction is generally conventional for a vise of this general character and the ensuing description will refer to the construction only in general terms rather than in specific detail. The lower half of the fixed and movable jaws 11 and 12 of the vise 10 are provided respectively, with aligned threaded and smooth bores 28 and 28', in which a right hand screw 29 is positioned. Screw 29 is operated by means of handle 30 to bring the movable jaw 12 into and out of engagement with the fixed jaw member 11. The base section 13 is provided with spaced openings 30a on either side thereof to permit the securing of the vise on a work-table or the like.

In the operation of the vise made in accordance with the present invention, reference is to be had to Fig. 1 wherein the vise is shown in association with a typical drill press assembly 31. Since the drill assembly per se constitutes no part of the present invention, a detailed description of its parts and operation is unnecessary. The vise 10 is secured to the work-table 32 by means of bolts 33 seated in the openings 30a of the fixed jaw member ll. The movable jaw member 12 is retracted the necessary distance and the stock 34 to be drilled is positioned between the serrated faces 22 of the main body of the jaw members 11 and 12 and faces 21 of the movable members 20. The screws 26 are rotated so as to raise the movable jaw members 20 into engagement with the stock 34 which is held in tight engagement by this operation. To drill the holes the handle 30 of screw 29 is then rotated counterclockwise so as to draw the movable jaw member 12 rearwardly and away from the fixed jaw member 11. This movement will be rather slight but will apply considerable tensioning or stretching of the stock 34. The drill bit 35 of the drill press 31 is then brought down to perform the drilling operation with the stock 34 held in the stretched or tensioned position and the desired hole is placed in the stock 34 swiftly with no tearing of the stock nor any binding of the machinery. Moreover, the hole is quite clean and there is no dimpling in the surface of the stock 34 immediately surrounding the formed opening.

In the preceding illustrative embodiment, the vertically movable jaw members have been shown as being positioned beneath the normal Work-engaging faces of the main vise jaw. It will, sufiice to say that it is within the function and scope of my invention to employ any secondary vise means which have clamping axes lying transverse to the main clamping axis of the vise of general use.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1 A vise construction comprising a fixed main jaw member having a vertical work-engaging face; a movable main jaw member having a vertical work-engaging face in mateable relationship with the work-engaging face of said fixed main jaw member; means for moving the workengaging face of said movable jaw member into and out of engagement with the work-engaging face of said fixed jaw member; each of said main jaw members being undercut inwardly immediately below said vertical work-engaging face to form a fixed and downwardly facing horizontal work-engaging face lying at right angles to and in a plane transverse to and below that of the vertical workengaging face of each of said jaw members; each of said main jaw members being provided with a secondary movable jaw member having a work-engaging face thereon mateable with and confronting the downwardly facing horizontal work-engaging face of the main jaw, and means to move each of said secondary jaw members toward and away from the downwardly facing horizontal work-engaging face of said main jaw member.

2. A vise construction comprising a fixed main jaw member having a vertical work-engaging face; a movable main jaw member having a vertical work-engaging face in mateable relationship with the work-engaging face of said fixed main jaw member; means for moving the workengaging face of said movable jaw member into and out of engagement with the work-engaging face of said fixed jaw member, each of said main jaw members being under cut inwardly immediately below said vertical work-engaging face to form a fixed and downwardly facing horizontal work-engaging face lying at right angles to and in a plane transverse to and below that of the vertical work-engagin g face of each of said jaw members, a movable secondary jaw member connected to each of main jaw members and having a work-engaging face thereon confronting and mateable with the downwardly facing horizontal face of each main jaw member for limited vertical movement relative thereto, and means to move each of said secondary jaw members toward and away from the downwardly facing horizontal work-engaging face of said main jaw member.

3. A vise in accordance with claim 2 wherein each of the secondary jaw members are connected to each of said main jaw members by means of a bolt, and spring means mounted on said bolt; between said secondary jaw member and said main jawmernber to bias the secondary jaw to its non-clamping position.

References Citedin the file of. this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,120,798 Duecker Dec. 15, 1914 1,197,286 Hannay Sept. 5,1916 1,297,539 Bull Mar. 18,191) 1,311,986 Miles Aug. 5, 1919 

